This measure sought to amend the city charter so as to split the city into districts and make it that council members would be elected from a designated district rather than at large. The city would be divided into six districts, one for each council members, but the city mayor would still be voted for by the entire city. Residents in favor of creating districts collected the necessary signatures to get this issue on the ballot. The city recorder still needs to verify the signatures to officially place this issue on the ballot. And the measure must be voted for by 60% of the voters to be approved.[1]

Election results

Support

Supporters of the measure say that many of the neighborhoods of Gresham, citing Rockwood and North Central as examples, do not get fair representation as a majority of the current councilors live in the Gresham Butte neighborhood.[2]

Opposition

Those who oppose the districting measure claim that it is divisive and would potentially fracture the community. Mayor Shane Bemis and four City Council members signed a resolution formally opposing the measure as "gerrymandering false sub-communities of the opposition efforts into an us-versus-them scenario (that) would fracture the community into indivudal special interest groups."[3]

Text of measure

Language on the ballot:

“

Shall the Gresham Charter be amended to elect the mayor at large and councilors elected and residing in six districts?[4][5]